


The Road After: Ashes

by DemonzDust



Series: The Road After [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Gore, Dark, Dark Magic, Death, Depression, Emotional, Grieving, Horror, Hurt/Comfort, Loss, M/M, Recovery, Road Trips, Shock, Slow Burn, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-15
Updated: 2018-04-21
Packaged: 2019-04-23 10:46:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14330802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DemonzDust/pseuds/DemonzDust
Summary: When they came, no one was ready for them. Nearly all the pack is dead, and Scott is fleeing Beacon Hills with the only person he managed to save. With only one another and the long stretch of road ahead of them, Scott and Theo need to come to terms with everything that has transpired between them, or be swallowed by the darkness that will inevitably find them. Set directly after the end of 6A.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic takes place after the conclusion of 6A, so it's events are an alternate to 6B.

_**“Though earth and moon were gone** _

_**And suns and universes ceased to be** _

_**And Thou wert left alone** _

_**Every Existence would exist in thee** _

 

_**There is not room for Death** _

_**Nor atom that his might could render void** _

_**Since thou art Being and Breath** _

_**And what thou art may never be destroyed.”** _

 

_**\--Emily Bronte** _

 

 

It didn't matter what direction they went. Not anymore.

The harsh taste of smoke still burned in the back of Scott’s throat as he he pulled on to the dark highway. He paid no mind to the signs as he chose a lane at random and pressed his foot down on accelerator.

The tires screamed along wet pavement and rain sloshed and splattered against the windshield as the car gained speed.

Theo swore behind him as his unbuckled body was thrown against the back seats of the car. He didn’t dare criticize Scott’s driving, however, and quickly righted himself. When Scott glanced at him briefly in the rear-view mirror Theo had already secured himself and was peering out the back window in search of pursuing headlights.

None came onto the road after them, and Scott turned his attention back in front of him.

A long dark stretch road lay before them.

He focused on the jarring bright pair of yellow lines ahead, and didn’t turn his head back again.

If cars came in pursuit, then Theo would warn him.

And he couldn’t bare to look back.

 

*     *     *

 

Theo stared past the furious swiping of the back windshield wipers for an hour before he was finally satisfied that there were no immediate pursuers.

With a sigh of relief, he sank back into the seat of the small compact car and let the tiredness that plagued his body overcome him. His clothes were singed and his muscles ached as he struggled to find comfort lying across the narrow seats.

He pulled his wet jacket off and stuffed it between his head and the window, allowing his body to bask in the dry plastic-smelling mechanical heat of the defroster. The position put his back at an awkward angle, but it didn’t aggravate any of his wounds, so it was good enough.

Scott was still staring, hyper-focused on the road ahead of them when Theo’s eyes settled on him. He could see that the rigid tension in Scott’s muscles hadn’t subsided at all in the past hour.

He couldn’t feel any pain radiating from Scott, in fact, he couldn't feel anything from him at all. Just a blank and heavy emptiness.

He didn't dare to break the silence that had enveloped the car since they turned onto the highway, and instead nestled his head against the bunched up jacket and watched Scott’s form till he eyelids started to drop.

_Thank you._

He wanted to whisper as he felt himself begin to drift into an uneasy sleep.

Scott didn’t have to help him. He could have left him in Beacon Hills to be shot and burnt up like all the others, but he hadn’t. He’d chosen to save him.

He kept his lips sealed shut, however, because he was certain that Scott didn’t want to hear his thanks. Thanking him would only serve as a reminder that Theo was the only person he’d been able to save.

Scott hadn’t chosen to save him over anyone else, Theo reminded himself just before his mind went dark. He’d chosen to save him simply because he was the only one left.

And Scott would likely rather it have been anyone else.

Thanking him would just be cruel.

 

*     *     *

 

Scott felt Theo’s eyes on him from the back seat, but he didn’t turn around to look at him. Not even when he heard him fall fast asleep.

He didn't want to look at him. He didn’t want to see his face ever again.

But he wouldn’t throw him out.

Theo was the only person that he’d been able to save, and he’d be damned if he let the hunters have one more soul if he could help it.

Hours passed and darkness gave way to the bleak grey light of early dawn before Theo stirred and Scott finally stole a glance at him in the rearview mirror.

His hair was a disheveled mess and his face was smudged with soot from the billowing black smoke that Scott had plucked him from.

And yet, even in his pitiable state, Scott couldn’t help but feel a simmering surge of anger build up in his veins at the sight.

_Why did it have to be you?_

 

*     *     *

 

Theo groaned as he stretched out a terrible kink in his neck. The bullet holes in him had mostly healed overnight, but his throat was so dry he felt like the insides of it might splinter and crack if he didn’t get something to drink.

Scott was much the way he had been when Theo’d fallen asleep, although now his eyes were bloodshot and the dried blood caking on his brow was all the more apparent in the light of day.

The only thing around them that had changed, was the scenery just outside the window. With a quick look at the road signs he was able to ascertain that they were in Oregon.

The car was blaring hot, but Scott didn’t seem to notice. His hands were still glued tensely to the steering wheel. When Theo reached towards the dashboard to turn the defroster off Scott quickly smacked his hand away.

“Don't touch anything.” Scott growled at him.

Theo swallowed the indignant objections he wanted to make and sank back against the seat.

So that's how it was going to be then.

He couldn't really say he was expecting much more, and opted to crack the back windows open rather than fight Scott about the defroster.

Scott flinched at the sudden sound and pressure change that ripped through the car as cold damp wind quickly replaced the stagnant air, but he didn't say anything about it. Theo stuck his hand up through the crack, and let his fingertips scrape up some of the wetness on the top of the car. He was well aware of how disgusting the water likely was, but it was all he had to rub over his hands and wipe away some of the dirt and grime that had been clinging to them all night.

He felt only marginally cleaner than he had a moment ago, as he leaned back in the seat again and his stomach grumbled.

He kept his mouth shut, sure that Scott would stop soon.

But Scott didn't stop. Theo watched as they passed exit after exit.

His patience started to dwindle as the aching in his hoarse throat became increasingly painful. When he watched Scott drive directly past a rest stop with a _McDonalds_ and _Dunkin Donuts_ he wanted to kill him.

Only just barely stifling a growl he leaned forward to peer at the gages on the dashboard.

"You're running out of gas." he he pointed out curtly, and watched Scott's eyes dart down to the arrow hovering just over the "E".

Scott's brow furrowed. he made no sound, but Theo heard him flip the directional as they approached the next stop and knew that he'd won.

Soon they pulled into the rest stop and up to the first available pump. It was still in the early hours of the morning and the lot was nearly vacant. The second the car was parked Theo reached for the door handle, but to his dismay Scott stopped him again.

"You, stay here." Scott ordered as he unbuckled himself and climbed out of the car.

Theo watched in frustration as Scott went about filling the gas tank and paid at the pump with a credit card.

 _He'll get us something to eat and drink._ Theo assured himself as he watched Scott crumple the paper receipt dispensed at the pump and toss it into a trash can. _He's not just going to get back on the road without any coffee after driving all night..._

But that was exactly what Scott seemed intent on doing. He climbed back into the driver's seat without a word, turned the key in the ignition and made to pull back onto the highway.

A small burst of fury filled Theo's veins.

"For _fucks sake_ , Scott I need some water!" he shouted, his voice cracking in his throat from underuse and painful dryness.

Scott turned to him, his eyes wide in a sort of shock.

He stopped the car, and Theo quickly scrambled out. He didn't have a wallet or a phone, the hunters took that from him when they'd dragged him from his truck and rounded him up with the others, but he wasn't going to ask Scott for money. He'd figure it the fuck out when he got in there.

He did, however, stop to lean his head in through the passenger's window and lock his eyes back on Scott for a moment.

"Do _not_ ," he said slowly with emphasis on each syllable that was still painful to push out of his dry mouth "-leave me here."

He waited for Scott to nod in consent before hurrying inside.

 

*     *     *

 

Scott stared at Theo's back as he disappeared through the sliding glass doors of the building. It felt like watching a movie, as if everything was playing out before him completely outside of his control. Like there was a thick layer of glass between him and everything that happened around him. When Theo had yelled at him he heard it as if the voice came from a thousand miles away.

He couldn’t bring himself to focus on more than one thing at a time, could only see what was exactly in front of him. He didn’t want think about what happened, and he didn’t want to think about what would happen. He could only focus on getting through each moment as it passed.

He sat in the idling car, waited for Theo to return, and his eyes settled on an archaic item in the parking lot. A blue and grey phone booth with glass doors.

He stared at it, and it slowly began to dawn on him that there was someone that he should call.

He wanted to push the nagging feeling away. He didn’t want to think about anything outside of the car he was sitting in or the task immediately at hand. He didn’t want to think about people he knew outside of the rest station. He couldn't.

And yet, he had to.

His hand slipped into his jacket pocket and wrapped around his phone.

 _Stiles._ He thought as he tried to power up the blank screen. He needed to call Stiles.

Someone needed to tell Stiles what happened.

He pressed the power button a second time, but the phone refused to light up. It’s battery must have drained overnight, and he had nothing to charge it with.

A shameful trickle of relief moved through Scott’s body at the revelation.

He could put off calling Stiles for a while longer.

 

*     *     *

 

Theo wasted no time in getting to the water fountain. His muscles ached horrendously and begged to be stretched out, but all he could manage to do for several long moments was draw large gulps of water down his throat. He coughed and had to cover his mouth as dark soot left his lungs.

He must have looked like a complete wreck because a mother exiting the building had pulled her two tired looking children closer to herself as she’d walked past him.

 _Bitch._ He thought viciously as he made his way into the restroom.

Once in the restroom he spent several long minutes splashing his face with cool water and coughing into the sink. When he was finally able to look up at his own reflection he saw a disgusted looking tall man in a business suit staring at him over his shoulder.

Having already been homeless for several months, Theo had gotten plenty of shitty looks from strangers as he’d brushed his teeth and washed his face in public restrooms, but he hadn’t gotten used to it.

He grabbed a paper towel and wiped off his face, making sure to intentionally bump into the man as he tried to brush past him to the exit.

“Uh, sorry.” Theo muttered, not actually sorry at all, and watched as the disgust on the man's face tripled.

The man muttered something, Theo wasn’t certain what it was exactly, but he was pretty sure it was something along the lines of him being homeless, drug addicted, or possibly even a prostitute.

It didn’t matter what that asshole thought though, Theo smirked to himself as the man walked away completely unaware of the fact that his pocket was a bit lighter than it had been a minute ago.

Theo fished a thick wad of cash, the man’s ID, and a few credit cards out of the wallet before tossing it into the trash on his way out.

From there he quickly breezed through the small store near the exit and filled his arms with whatever he could quickly purchase and carry out to the car.

There was only a small amount of time before the man noticed his wallet was missing and called to cancel his cards, but also Theo wasn't particularly eager to test how long Scott would wait for him in the car.

Scott definitely...wasn't all there at the moment, and in his current state Theo wasn't sure he would put it past him not to forget that he was supposed to be waiting and pull back onto the highway without realizing it.

He grabbed bottled drinks, snacks, sandwiches that were almost guaranteed to taste like cardboard, travel toiletries, and a small stack of maps from a revolving rack near the register. While the cashier rang up his purchases he poured two coffees, and noticed a small table of hoodies and socks with “Oregon” written across them in tacky cursive. He plucked a few of them up and placed them onto the counter as well.

The cashier eyed him a bit suspiciously as she bagged up his unusually large purchase, but Theo smiled sweetly at her, complemented the skanky bunny tattoo on her arm as he handed her the stolen credit card and that was that.

Thankfully, when he got back to the car, Scott was still waiting for him.

 

*     *     *

 

The rest of the day passed much like the night before it. Scott kept his eyes on the road in front of him, paying no mind to their direction as miles flew. The only key differences were that Theo was now regrettably in the passenger's seat and Scott made a greater effort to obey the speed limit as Theo pointed out several state troopers and the fact that they were driving a stolen vehicle.  
  
Around midday Theo offered to drive, something that Scott vehemently refused. Who knew where the hell Theo would take them? He couldn't trust Theo to drive. He couldn't trust Theo with anything.  
  
He couldn’t recall exactly what he had said to shut Theo up about it, but it must have been biting because Theo spent the next several hours in stewing in sullen silence.  
  
As the hours ticked by, with nothing but the sound of the engine beneath them and the wind pushing against the windshield, Scott found it harder and harder not to feel as though there was a heavy weight looming over him.

Fatigue began to wind its way through his body and Scott felt the weight pressing on him, demanding his attention.

He didn't want to feel. If he could avoid thinking about it, avoid feeling for just a bit longer...

But he couldn't. He could feel emotion slowly starting to trickle back into him, making his hands tremble.

 _Gone_.

He gripped the steering wheel tighter, swallowed and pushed the thoughts away with all his might.

Just keep going. Keep driving.

Theo yawned beside him and Scott never found it so hard to not hate someone in his entire life.

In the days that followed Theo's betrayal in the library, Scott had actually felt bad for Theo. He was a lost soul, taken advantage as a child, twisted and sculpted into a monster. Even with everything Theo had done to him, Scott still felt compassion for him.  
  
But as he glanced at Theo out of the corner of his eye and watched him finish his nonchalant stretch and yawn he found it impossible not to want to hit him.  
  
Theo didn't care about anything that happened, he didn't even have to try not to feel anything. To him, yesterday was nothing but another day and another scrape that he'd just barely been able to survive. Stopping for food and rest breaks seemed to be the only thing Theo had thought about all day.  
  
How he could think about food was beyond Scott's comprehension.

The only thing Scott had even tried to consume since he got behind the wheel was a soda Theo had opened and put in this coffee holder. His hand had reached for it unconsciously, and when it filled his mouth it tasted foreign and strange, like soap and peroxide. When he'd looked down to see what wretched thing Theo had given him he was shocked to find that it was an ordinary Pepsi, not unlike any of the hundreds he must have consumed in his life.  
  
But of course Theo could think about food. Sustaining himself was literally the only thing Theo was good for.  
  
It wasn't right that Theo was slouched back in his seat, yawning, while _they_ lay smothered in ash beneath the debris that had once been Scott's home. He choked audibly at the thought, jerking the wheel and causing the car to swerve.  
  
"Woah," Theo said, his eyes suddenly wide with concern. "You should really let me take a turn driving..."  
  
"Shut. Up."  
  
"Look, at this rate you're going to kill some-"  
  
"As if you care about anyone but yourself!"  
  
"It's been almost a straight twenty-four hours, you can't keep going like-"  
  
"You have no idea what I can do, so please, Theo. Shut. The fuck. Up."  
  
But what could he do? Protect his pack? His friends? His mother?  
  
He'd failed. He'd failed them all.  
  
_Stop. Don't think. Just focus on the road. Just look at the road..._  
  
His vision began to blur, but he blinked the tears back. He refocused his eyes on the highway ahead of him.  
  
Off in the distance, a rest stop came into sight. At it was another glass box with a telephone, and before Scott could convince himself to keep driving he turned quickly off the road.  
  
Stiles. He couldn't keep running. He had to tell Stiles.

*     *     *

  
Theo swore as Scott hit the breaks on the ramp and his body was thrown forward against his seat belt. He then watched in confusion as Scott, who hadn’t stopped once in the entire trip without Theo expressly pointing out that they had to, pulled aggressively into a parking space on the far side of the lot.

"Why are we stopping?" he asked but received nothing but another order to ‘shut up’ as Scott slammed the car into park.

Of the maybe five or six sentences Scott had uttered since they left Beacon Hills, “Shut up.” had accounted for at least four of them. For the most part Theo had listened, but it’d been more than twenty-four hours now, and he was about at his limit of being treated like a misbehaving child.

For a moment he thought Scott was finally caving and letting him take a turn at driving, but then he and began scouring his pockets and the front of the car for something.

“What are you looking for?” He stubbornly pressed as Scott picked up empty bottles and tossed them into the back seat.

Scott muttered something that sounded like “quarters” so Theo pushed his hands away from the mess he was making, drew a number of coins out from the cup holder on the driver’s side of the car, and pressed them into Scott’s palm.

In the many hours of silence with nothing to occupy his mind but the view of passing trees, Theo had made it his business to become acquainted with their stolen car and all its contents. They were in a 2015 _Honda Civic_ according to the paperwork he’d found in the glove box. It’s owners probably bought it new and only used it to shuttle their children around Beacon Hills based off limited amount of miles on it and the _My Little Pony_ hair brush he’d found in one of the back seat pockets.

There was a small pile of loose change in one of the cup holders that he’d been handing to Scott as they needed to pay tolls over the past several hours. Apparently none of that had registered in Scott’s mind either.

Scott didn’t thank him for the quarters, just turned the engine off, hopped out, and barked a quick, “Stay in the car.” before slamming the door shut and walking to the phone booth.

A growl rumbled in the back of Theo’s throat as he watched Scott pick up the receiver and feed the coins through the slot in the booth.

He understood the kind of state Scott was in (well, maybe he didn’t understand so much as he was aware of it...) but after all day in the confined area where Scott hadn’t so much as let him touch the radio for some entertainment, he was close to the end of his patience.

 

*     *     *

 

Scott wasn’t sure where the coins came from when they suddenly appeared in his palm, but it didn’t matter. He needed to get to the phone booth before he lost his nerve. He had to tell Stiles. It was his responsibility. He _had_ to.

The rest stop was small and lonely. Just a modest wooden building and a phone booth on a small shelf carved out amongst the tall evergreen trees. The outside air was cool and a damp on Scott’s face, but he hardly felt it as he had to jerk the door to the booth open a bit forcefully.

 _Please work._ Scott thought as he picked up the old receiver and slipped in the coins Theo had given him. _Please just work..._  

To his relief, he heard a dial tone, and quickly went about punching in Stiles's number. The soft dull light of dusk made it difficult to see the numbers on the pewter buttons, but Stiles’ cell was one of the few numbers Scott knew by heart, and his fingers quickly flew over the pattern and the call connected.

_Ring._

Scott found himself holding his breath.

_Ring._

God, what if they got Stiles too?

 _Rin_ -

“Hello?” Stiles voice crackled on the other end, hurt and angry, and Scott froze.

Suddenly, he couldn’t speak. He couldn’t move. The breath felt stuck in his lungs and he couldn’t force it out.

He couldn’t run anymore. He couldn’t keep looking ahead. He needed to tell Stiles what happened and that meant acknowledging that it had.

His vision blurred before his eyes and his hand began to shake as the entire weight and reality of the night before came crashing down on him.

Hearing Stiles’ voice like that. It made it real.

They were gone. They were _really_ gone. He’d failed them. He’d walked straight into a trap and everyone he loved had paid the price. Hayden, Corey, Malia, Lydia...Mom...

Why did they come for her? She wasn’t supernatural. She’d never done anything to hurt anyone in her entire life. The only thing she’d been guilty of was loving him...but maybe that had been enough for Monroe.

“ _Scott_ ?” Stiles far away voice called to him in shocked disbelief. “Sc-Scott is that _you_?”

A strangled sob left his lips and his finger slammed down on the metal switch, disconnecting the call. 

Scott's knees gave out and he sank to the dirty metal floor. A gush of tears spilled down his face. He couldn't breathe, and he wasn't even sure that he wanted to.

  
*     *     *

  
Anger continued to simmer in Theo's veins as he watched Scott place his call. He couldn't hear the details of the conversation, and wasn't even sure if the call had connected. All he saw was the shocked look on Scott's face momentarily before he turned away and out of sight. He was frozen for several long moments like a statue, before he started to tremble and shake.  
  
Theo's hard glare began to melt away as he watched Scott sink to his knees. Although his face was still hidden from view, Theo could tell from the quivering of his shoulders that he was sobbing.

The shock of what had transpired was finally wearing off. The heavy reality was setting in, and Scott was crumbling under the weight of it.

Theo had never seen Scott so broken. Not when he’d thought Stiles had willingly killed Donovan, not when his pack abandoned him, not when his beta turned against him, not even when Theo had nearly taken his life in the library.

 His strong form looked fragile and weak as it crumpled in on itself and tall shadows of the trees began to blend around him with the impending darkness of night

Theo quietly opened his door.

He couldn’t leave Scott out there. There was probably no one even remotely close to them, but the thought of someone finding Scott vulnerable and exposed as he was made Theo’s muscles twitch uneasily. 

And he couldn’t explain why, but the sight of it was making him feel uncomfortable.

The early night creepers chirped as Theo struggled to open the door to the booth, that seemed to be stuck from disuse. It made a loud creaking sound as it was yanked open, but Scott didn’t seem to notice.

“Hey...” Theo said softly, crouching down reaching a hand out to touch Scott’s shoulder. 

Scott didn’t respond, just kept his eyes screwed shut as tears continued to spill down his face. His hand was still clutching the receiver tightly, and Theo could see that his claws digging into the hard plastic. 

Cautiously, he placed his palm over the back of Scott’s hand and slowly worked his fingers apart. When he had enough space between them he pried the phone out away and hung it back up where it belonged.

“Scott...” he whispered quietly. “Scott, we can’t stay here...”

“Just...just go.” Scott whispered between sobs. “Just fucking leave...”

He slumped back against the tattered glass wall, his eyes still squeezed stubbornly shut.

Theo’s gaze flickered down to the bulge in the front pocket of Scott’s hoodie, where he’d seen him stash the keys, and then, keeping his gaze on Scott’s claws that were still out, slipped his hand in and drew them out.

He could leave now, he realized.

The hunters were probably off his trail, he had half a tank of gas, Scott definitely wasn’t going to be able to go looking for him. He could find a way to make ends meet for food and money, he always managed to get by. There was nothing keeping him. He could survive on his own. It was the choice that made sense. It was the choice that would be most convenient.

He looked up at the car, waiting peacefully and ready for him. He looked back at Scott, chest heaving in raspy wet sobs, barely cognizant of the world around him 

 

*     *     *

 

Scott didn’t feel the arm as it wrapped around his waist. He barely recognized that he was being hauled to his feet and moved towards the car. He didn’t feel himself being placed in the front passenger's seat, or hear the click of the buckle that locked him safely in. 

He just turned his head to the side once he felt the car in motion, and drifted into a heavy sleep.

 

*     *     *

 

“Scott?! Scott is that _you_?!” 

Stiles ear was plastered to his phone as he listened to the raspy intake of breath, the soft struggling exhale.

It could have been anyone. It could have been _literally_ be anyone, but Stiles knew it was him.

The call disconnected, leaving Stiles staring at the white wall of his Quantico dorm in shock.

 _He’s alive._ It dawns on him, and hot tears burst from his eyes. _He’s somehow, still alive..._


	2. Chapter 2

It was quarter past eight when Stiles received the call from his father.

He'd woken up feeling sick, although he couldn't explain why. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was looming over him as he showered and brushed his teeth.

He'd tried to tell himself that it was nothing. Just jitters. Nerves about classes for the upcoming week and the fact that it had only been a few days and he'd already made it onto several teacher's "Least Favorite Students, 2017" list. 

But he couldn't help it. He fired off a stream of selfishly early texts as he poured himself a bowl of cereal. It was far too early for anyone on the West Coast to be up, but he needed to hear from Scott or Lydia before he got to class. He needed to hear something reassuring. Something that would keep him steady through the rest of the day.

A response never came.

The first time his phone vibrated was an hour later, just as he was running late to class. The name on his phone wasn't anyone he'd texted.

Yet as he slid his finger across the screen and held the phone to his ear, part of him already knew.

The tone in his father's voice when he spoke made Stiles drop the binder he'd been carrying. It clattered to the floor but he barely heard it. The sounds of the world seemed to muffle around him. He'd only heard his father take that tone once. One day, in the entire time that Stiles had known him: the day his mother died.

But it wasn’t just that someone was dead. It was that they _ all  _ were.

He was frozen in place, his class long forgotten, as he listened to his father recount the details of how all of his friends, the girl he loved, his  _ best  _ friend, all of them, were rounded up, trapped in a house lined with Mountain Ash, and shot one by one. The house, along with their bodies, was burnt to the ground.

Rubble and dirt. That’s what was left of them. Rubble and dirt.

The rest of the day passed in a blur, and yet each moment felt as though it lasted hours.

He didn’t go to class, he didn’t eat, he just stayed in his room. Cried until his body could no longer produce any tears and paced around. He twisted his hands over and over and over again.

This was on him.

He knew he should never have left Beacon Hills. He should  _ never _ have believed that they would be okay.  _ How _ had he thought that they would be okay?

His dad called a grief counselor and made an appointment for him. He’d made him swear that he wouldn’t come back to Beacon Hills until things were sorted out, and in his shocked stupor, Stiles had agreed.

His dad texted him several times throughout the day, but he received no calls until his phone lit up, late at night with an unknown number.

He'd answered, aware that it was most likely a salesperson or a robot. He secretly hoped it was a salesperson because he needed someone,  _ anyone _ to vent at.

“Hello?” he snapped, not giving a fuck if he sounded bitchy.

They were the one calling him right now, and they would get what they deserved.

There was a strange static and muffled breath, and Stiles froze.

A chill ran down his spine as he listened to the fuzzy sound of someone breathing.

“ _ Scott _ ?” He asked, his fingers shaking. “Sc-Scott is that  _ you _ ?”

There was no reason to believe that it was him. None, except the feeling in his gut.

“Sc-” he started but the the person on the other end made a strangled sob.

There was a loud clattering clanking sound, and then noting.

Stiles stood there for several long moments staring at his phone.

It was definitely Scott. He was sure of it.

 

*     *     *

 

Scott woke to the scent of warm plastic and grease as a paper fast food bag was tossed into his lap.

“Morning.” Theo’s voice sounded beside him, and Scott squinted as his eyes were attacked by the bright morning light.  “Did you want to get out for a few minutes?”

It takes some time for Scott to recognize his surroundings.

They’re in a _McDonald’s_ parking lot. Somewhere.

There was a wide open sky above them, and a few well manicured trees around the lot. Across the street from them was a Mobile station with pumps kept too clean to have seen much use. Small cracks ran through the washed out surface of the road like spider webs. It didn’t even remotely resemble a highway. 

Off in the distance Scott could see the sharp peaks of snow-dusted mountains cutting into the pale blue sky.

“Where are we?” He asked, groggily.

“Oregon still.” Theo answered, peeling back the wrapper on a breakfast burrito and grimacing at it before taking a hungry bite. “Just outside Washington.”

“Haven’t you been driving all night?!” Scott accused as he bolted upright.

“ _ Yes _ .” Theo snipped back, not looking at him as he continues to eat, but Scott can see from the dark circles under his eyes that it’s probably the case. “I took back roads, went in a few different directions.  _ If _ there was anyone following us, which I  _ doubt _ , I’m sure we lost them.”

Scott wasn’t sure how he felt about that. If they weren’t feverishly running, then what  _ were _ they supposed to do?

“Eat something.” Theo urges him, and Scott looks down at the bag in his lap.

There were several small sandwiches and a few greasy hash browns inside. Scott tried to force himself to eat, but only got so far as the first bite before the food turned to ash in his mouth.

“Not hungry.” he said, resigning himself as he pushed the bag back into Theo’s lap.

That finally drew Theo’s eyes back up from his disappointing breakfast. If Scott didn’t know any better he’d have said he looked  _ concerned _ .

But Scott did know better. Theo didn’t feel things like concern for others, he only pretended to have those kind of feelings when it was advantageous to him. Unless, of course, he was worried that if Scott didn’t start eating he’d have to hide a body and that might be inconvenient for him.

“You haven’t eaten anything in-” Theo started but Scott cut him off.

“Don’t care.” he growled, and yanked the car door open.

 

*     *     *

 

Theo watched Scott’s back as he walked stiffly into McDonald's. Despite his gruff dementor, Scott seemed to be doing a little better. There was an alertness in his eyes that there hadn’t been yesterday even if they lacked their usual warm brown flicker.

Still, the refusal to eat anything wasn’t good. Scott had to be hungry, it was impossible for him not to be.

Theo scarfed down the rest of his breakfast, which tasted like mildly flavored plastic but it was at least hot and pulled out out the map he’d clipped to the back of the sun visor. Uncapping a marker with his teeth, he traced the last leg of their journey out.

It had been a long night full of winding empty roads and looming dark evergreens. He’d marked their path out on the cheap paper map in red marker so there was a record of exactly where they’d been. He hadn’t seen any signs of pursuit, but it was still better to be safe than sorry.

He hadn’t turned on the radio or tried to work the CD player for fear of waking Scott up earlier than needed, but despite the lack of entertainment, Theo had found the night anything but empty.

As he drove them through the uneventful night, he’d found himself listening to the dull thudding of Scott’s heartbeat and the soft rhythm of his breathing. He’d stolen the occasional glance at his sleeping body when they’d passed briefly under streetlights in small country towns. 

Even with Scott’s practically insufferable state, the past forty-eight hours had been the most personal interaction Theo’s had since he’d been freed from the depths of his imprisonment beneath the ground.

He knew it was probably pathetic, but he was just thankful not to be spending another night alone.

 

*     *     *

 

Scott was barely able to recognize the young man with unbrushed hair and sunken eyes staring back at him in the restroom mirror. 

He looked harrowed and worn, but worse than that, he looked angry. There was a raw and confused bitter anger that wound it’s way through his tense aching arms as he washed his hands that was at odds with the broken slump in his shoulders.

Who was this?

He’d never seen this person before. Not when his parents were getting divorced and he’d woken up with bruises his father left on him in drunken fury or carelessness. Not when he’d watched the girl he loved die in his arms and been helpless to stop it. Not even when every single one of his friends had left him to die on the library floor.

All of those times he’d known that he would bounce back. He always bounced back. It wasn’t easy and it wasn’t fun, but he made it through because he  _ had _ to. People needed him.

But he’d let those people down.

No one needed him now because no one was _ left _ to need him.

He clutched the edges of the sink, swallowing down a rush of feeling that threatened to cause the fixture to crumble in his hands.

There was a knock at the door, and for a moment Scott let himself believe that he was home again, that the knock was that of his mother, who had come to check on him for being alone and upset for too long.

Of course, it wasn’t her voice that called for him.

“Anyone in there?” a stranger’s impatient voice sounded on the other side of the door.

“Yeah.” Scott called, quickly wiping his eyes with a piece of rough paper. “Yeah, I’ll be right out.”

 

*     *     *

 

“ _ Out. _ ”

Theo’s eyes moved up from the map to meet Scott’s as the car door was opened abruptly.

“You know, you could just  _ ask _ .” he shot back as he pulled himself out of the driver’s seat. “Believe it or not I’m actually capable of understanding full sentences if you ever want to try talking like a human being again.”

He could see from Scott’s face that he’d been crying not more than a few minutes ago, but if they were about to spend another day trapped in the car together he needed to set some limits.

“Theo, the next time I want to talk to  _ you _ I’ll be six feet underground.”

_ Yeah, assuming someone is there to bury your bitchy ass...  _ Theo thought darkly as he climbed back into the passenger’s seat, but managed to hold his tongue. 

He was already starting to wish Scott had slept in a little bit longer.

The old Scott would have never talked to him like this. Not even in the days directly following the supermoon.

“Have you given any thought as to where we’re going?” Theo asked ten minutes later as Scott drove through a quaint and cheerful small town with a deep scowl on his face.

He, of course, received no answer.

He tried for the radio, and this time Scott didn’t stop him.

*     *     *

  
_ Stiles, damn it, you call me back the second you get this! Do you understand me? _

Stiles flinched as his father’s voice mail assaulted his ears. It was the last of a series of ten that he’d received on the first red eye flight he’d been able to book to Portland after tracing that mysterious phone call’s origin in the FBI’s database.

But his dad was going to have to wait. He had to figure out where that call had come from.

He wasn’t going to go to that grief counselor and have them tell him that he had imagined that it was Scott on the other end of some random misdialed phone call because he was in denial. He  _ knew  _ it was Scott. 

He knew what his best friend sounded like.

He’d traced the call to a pay phone in the middle of ass nowhere, Oregon, and he knew his father wasn’t going to approve of him going there alone. Or at all.

So dear dad, was just going to have to wait till he found something confirming that it was Scott.

It took him the rest of the day to rent a car and make his way out to the location. He was tired and his phone kept losing service out in the more remote areas of the state so he’d gotten lost a few times, but he made it just as the sky was turning pink above the treeline.

_ Please, please please...  _ Stiles found himself praying as he approached the dirty glass box.  _ Please have left something... _

His fingers shook as he pried the heavy door open. If he couldn’t find anything here then he wasn’t sure what would happen.

He could only get the door half open and had to turn his body sideways to slip inside, but the second he’d managed to scuttle in his heart leapt.

There, on the slightly bent phone handle, were five small holes.

Hardly able to believe his luck, Stiles fumbled for it. He ran his fingers over the them, held the receiver in his hand to make sure they lined up, and let out an abrupt relieved cry.

They were undeniably claw marks.

He wasn’t crazy.

 

*     *     *

 

The next day passed much like the one before it, but with a few small improvements. Scott seemed to be aware of the fact that Theo was passing him change every so often (he’d even muttered a small “thanks” at one of the toll booths) and although Scott didn’t once stop of his own volition, he put up less resistance when Theo asked him to.

They’d had another brief argument when Scott had refused take the child lock off the windows, but aside from that, they hadn’t spoken much at all. The long hours passed with only the occasional fuzzy sound of the radio, whenever they got reception.

Scott barely seemed to hear the difference between the country rock alternative or the classical stations that came in relatively clearly, but Theo had made sure to listen to any bits of news that were occasionally mentioned in passing.

_ “People continue to speculate as to the strange disappearances and cases of arson that occurred across the country earlier this week are being investigated...”  _

Theo’s ears perked at the mention. He quickly glanced at Scott, but saw no sign that the sullen alpha wolf had heard the story or made any connection to it.

_ “...no comment from the federal law enforcement has been made since their statement on Tuesday.: _

They then played the statement. A bored and slightly harassed-sounding voice of what Theo assumed was a white man in a suit crackled through the stereo.

_ As of right now there is no evidence to suspect that these instances were in any way connected. No terrorist groups have taken credit for the attacks and there appears to be no motive linking crimes together. Police will continue to investigate each instance within their own jurisdiction. Now if you’ll excuse me- _

The radio station then went on to cover the results of a local dog show, leaving Theo to wonder just how deep Monroe’s connections went, and if they really were out of danger at all.

 

*     *     *

 

The day passed into night.

Scott’s eyes hurt and his back ached, but still he kept driving.

Theo began to sigh and fidget beside him, and Scott found it just as irritating as he had yesterday.

But as the hours drew on he began to wonder about Theo’s earlier question.

Where  _ was _ he going?

He still hadn’t called Stiles. Not really.

But there was something in his bones that was telling him not to. That it wasn’t a smart idea.

They’d killed his mother and Mason because they were close to his pack.

If he called Stiles, if he brought him into this, what was to stop the same thing from happening to him?

Stiles still had his dad. He had someone to comfort him.

What good would Scott be to Stiles? He’d let the love of Stiles life die. He’d stupidly allowed himself to be lead into the tunnels beneath Beacon Hills to discuss a peace treaty when he hadn’t even been aware that there was a  _ need  _ for such an arrangement.

He thought he could handle it. That it was just a simple meeting between himself and a few humans that had discovered the supernatural and needed some reassurances that they were safe and well protected.

He’d thought wrong.

“Scott...” Theo’s voice called to him, but he ignored it.

Stiles didn’t deserve a best friend that put him in danger.

“ _ Scott _ ...”

Stiles didn’t deserve a friend that failed him anymore than everyone else had deserved to die.

“ _ SCOTT! _ ”

Theo’s shout snaps Scott’s eyes back onto the road just in time to see a four-legged creature with antlers staring directly into the headlights.

Scott slammed on the brakes and turned the wheel sharply just narrowly missing it and the car spun off the side of the road, it’s front end buried in a ditch.

“JESUS FUCKING CHRIST!” Theo swore as he unbuckled himself and jumped out of the car.

Not sure what else to do, Scott did the same.

“What the FUCK, Scott?!!” Theo raved, as his body shook from shock and fury. “We’re on mountain passes, you could have fucking killed us!!” 

Scott couldn’t say anything, his body was shaking just as hard as Theo’s.

“I told you we should have stopped for a break you _ stupid fucking asshole _ !”

Scott couldn’t respond. Couldn’t argue or defend himself.

He _ was _ a stupid fucking asshole.

 

*     *     *

 

Theo watched Scott’s eyes widen at the insult. He stared at him for a few moments, not unlike the deer had a few moments ago, before he bursts into a broken set of tears. 

His head dropped down and his shoulders slumped forward.

And in that moment Theo hated himself.

Scott wasn’t a stupid or an asshole. He was shell shocked and broken, just trying his hardest to get through every second as it passed.

Theo knew what that was like. He could remember emerging from his underground tortures, how the whole world seemed to move too quickly and too loud around him. What it was like to be left sensitive and unguarded. Vulnerable in a hostile world.

The only difference was that, unlike Theo, Scott didn’t deserve it.

Theo had never known anyone like Scott. Someone that gave everything and took nothing. Someone that could find it in themselves to protect and want to help even the people that had hurt him.

He didn’t deserve to be yelled at and call names, especially not by him.

Theo pulled a hand through his hair, struggling to calm the shock that was still working it’s way through his system. Beside them the car began to beep from the open doors and Theo heard the deer bolting away into the woods.

He sighed as deep waves of regret worked through his body. Sometimes he really wished he could go back to the way he’d been before. Things had been much simpler when he couldn’t feel things like guilt.

Maybe if he hadn’t spent those hundreds of thousands of times having his heart ripped out he would have been able to look at Scott’s broken tears and not feel anything. Just have been able to continue to not give a fuck.

But he couldn’t.

He felt sick that he had done this to the person that had saved his life only a few days ago.

To a person that had let him stay in Beacon Hills even after everything he’d done.

“Hey...” he said, forcing his tone back to a calm and even level. “Look, I-”

Scott turned away from him as he approached.

“I’m sorry, I know you’re just tired. I’m tired too...”

Theo reached for his arm, careful and apologetically. Scott didn’t pull away, but he didn’t turn to face him either.

“We both need some rest.” Theo went on, imploringly. “Not some sleep in the backseat, some  _ real  _ rest.”

Scott didn’t answer, but he took in a few deep breaths, attempting to steady himself.

“Come on, help me get the car out out and I’ll take a turn driving. We’ll find a Motel or something nearby.” Theo watched Scott closely for a reaction. “Okay?”

Scott nodded and wiped his face on the back of his sleeve.   
  


*     *     *

 

The front end of the car was banged up, but relatively undamaged and they were soon back on the road, this time with Theo behind the wheel watching for signs pointing to accommodations.

Scott leaned his head against the window, and sat in silence.

He should feel embarrassed for crying in front of Theo like that, but somehow he wasn’t. He wants to feel angry about what Theo said, but he couldn’t find it in himself. Dodging that deer and the rush of adrenaline it had produced had sapped his body of whatever little energy it had left, leaving him with nothing.

He couldn’t even find it in himself to feel sad anymore.

After some time, Theo pulled off the mountain pass onto a long gravely drive leading up to a small two story motel with a glowing red sign.

Scott waited in the car as Theo procured them a room for them on the first floor, and then followed him to it. His feet felt heavy and moving at all took a tremendous effort.

Once inside Theo pushed him into the bathroom and told him to shower and brush his teeth, which he did. He didn’t question where the toothbrush or other toiletries came from as they were thrust into his hands, but he did notice that Theo was acting strangely.

There was a softness in his voice, and a hesitance in his actions.

“It’ll get easier, Scott.” Theo said to him after a long period of silence.

Scott looked at him, and truly saw him for the first time in hours.

He’d showered as well, his hair was damp and there was a hotel towel draped around his shoulders. He was wearing a black t-shirt with the words “Oregon” stamped across it in bold letters, but there was a searching earnest look in his eyes.

It wasn’t how Scott was used to seeing Theo.

“What will get easier?” he asked, unable to summon up the energy to tell Theo leave him alone for the hundred thousandth time.

“Everything.” Theo answered, sitting on the bed opposite him. “What you’re feeling right now. It’ll get better.”

“How would  _ you _ know what I’m feeling.” small trickles of rage crept into his voice as Scott found the energy just a little bit easier to grasp.

“You think I don’t know what guilt feels like?”

“No, I  _ really  _ think you don’t.”

Theo bit his lip, and nodded.

“Well I do.” he said after a long while.

“No you feel  _ sorry for yourself _ .” Scott argued. “It’s not the same thing.”

“What the hell do  _ you _ know what I feel?” Theo snapped, and Scott could see a tension growing in Theo’s wrists as he gripped the edges of the frayed white towel. “You and Stiles, you both think you know me. How I think, what I feel. You don’t-”

“Don’t you  _ ever  _ talk about my friends!” Scott bolts from his bed and onto to his feet faster than he knew he could in his exhaustion. “You don’t _ deserve _ to talk about them. I didn’t want to think that about you Theo, you  _ made _ me think it. Are you really going to stand there and tell me you didn’t?”

“You don’t understand-”

“No  _ you  _ don’t understand!” Scott railed. “What are you going to tell me? That the Dread Doctor’s  _ made _ you do it? We both know they didn’t.”

“It’s not as simple as you two make it out!” Theo’s voice was starting to shake. “You have no idea what they did to-”

“What they did to you?” Scott interjected. “You think I haven’t thought about that? I’ve thought about it  _ every day _ since you tried to end my life. I  _ remember _ you from fourth grade, Theo, probably better than you remember yourself. You might not have been perfect, but you weren’t a monster.”

Theo stared at him, like he’d forgotten how to speak.

“You were a child and they took advantage of you. I  _ know _ that.” Scott went on. “You think it hasn’t keep me up at night thinking about what they must have done to you? Wondering how you got to be this way? But it still doesn’t change what you _ did _ . Just because you were hurt  _ doesn’t _ give you the right to hurt others.”

Scott felt his fingers curling into fists. Tears started to cloud his eyes.

“Stiles warned me about you and I didn’t believe him. I didn’t  _ want _ to believe him. I always believe the best in people. And you know what? That’s what got all of my friends  _ killed _ . They are  _ dead _ because I chose to believe the best in people like  _ you _ . So  _ fuck you. _ I do understand.”

 

*     *     *

 

Theo watched as hot angry tears rolled down Scott’s face. His raw emotion hung in the air between them and the walls seemed to sting from the intensity of the exchange.

“Maybe things got better for you, Theo.” Scott said finally. “But you’ve never given a fuck about anyone but yourself.”

Rather than respond, Theo grabbed the keys and his sweatshirt off the dresser and took off into the night. 

He wasn’t going to yell at Scott. Not a second time.

_ You were a child and they took advantage of you. _

The words still rang in his years as he descended the short set of stairs back down to the gravely drive and turned onto a small dirt path leading behind the motel.

Scott said that like he understood what that was like, what he’d been through, but he really didn’t. He had no idea what it was like to be eight and know that there was something deeply wrong with him. To find it harder and harder to feel things that he knew every person should be able to feel.

Scott couldn’t understand how confused and alone he’d been, even before the Dread Doctors started creeping their way into his life. He didn’t know the kinds of things they did to him. Or what it felt like to cry to his parents for help and to be told that the Dread Doctors didn’t exist. To be helpless and at their mercy of forces so far outside of his control. To be completely ignored by people that he’d thought had loved him.

The dirt path wound around the side of the motel and down to the silver surface of a small lake and wrapped around it’s edges. The still surface was disturbed only by the small ripples caused from the light wind stirring in the tree branches all around them.

_But it still doesn’t change what you did._ _Just because you were hurt doesn’t give you the right to hurt others..._

Theo stuffed his hands into his pockets and continued along the dark path. The tree branches groaned above him and the small sounds of falling twigs and pine needles chimed off in the distance.

He knows Scott isn’t wrong about that. He didn’t always understand that, but he has ever since his time beneath the ground. But Scott was wrong about him not feeling guilt.

He feels guilt. He feels it every day.

_ No, you feel sorry for yourself... _

Maybe that was true. He had spent a lot of time feeling sorry for himself. Night after lonely night, day after empty day, knowing that he’d brought the isolation on himself.

That’s what happens when you betray or murder everyone that ever tried to help you.

The path led down to a rocky bank where the edges of the water lapped lightly against their smooth surfaces. Theo picked up a small stone and turned it over in his hands.

_ They are dead because I chose to believe the best in people like you. _

Theo doesn’t have to be a psychologist to figure out what that was about.

He flung the stone out over the lake and watched it skip four times along it’s surface before sinking deep within it’s depths, probably never to be seen again.

_ I remember you from fourth grade. _

_ You think it hasn’t keep me up at night thinking about what they must have done to you?  _

_ I’ve thought about it every day...  _

Those words were the most puzzling and confusing to Theo. He wasn’t aware that Scott had wondered about that at all. Did Scott  _ really _ think about him  _ every _ day? Had he cared  _ that  _ much?

He sighed and returned his hand to the warmth of his pocket.

He had been fairly certain that no one had given half a fuck about him after he’d been pulled beneath the ground. He thought for sure that any feelings or concern Scott had held for him had died that night in the library when he’d shown his true face.

But Scott hadn’t been lying. He’d heard the rhythm of the alpha wolf’s heavy heart. Scott couldn’t lie like him, and Scott  _ wouldn’t _ lie about something like that.

Scott had worried about him, agonized over him, even after his betrayal.

“Pretty late out for a walk in the woods, don’t you think, kid?”

Theo is roused sharply from his thoughts as a gruff voice calls from behind him.

It’s followed by a flick and sizzling sound and Theo slowly turned over his shoulder to see the dull orange glow of a cigarette smouldering in the dark. It belonged to the shadowy form of a tall man leaning against the thin trunk of a tree. Theo could make out the edges of a flannel shirt and hefty pair of boots.

He must have been standing there for a while, because Theo hadn’t heard him approach,

But  _ how  _ had he not heard his heartbeat?

The man blew out a long puff of smoke that uncurled between them in a thick cloud.

As the man took another draw, the end of the cigarette lit up a second time, revealing a sharp square jaw and unshaven face. Maybe it was just the poor lighting, but his eyes looked black in the pupils.

There was something off about him, but Theo wasn’t sure what. 

Aside from the obvious creeping.

“I could say the same thing to you.” he responded, and the man chuckled.

“I’m not a kid.” he said, replacing the cigarette between his teeth and stepping forward into the moonlight. “And you definitely are.”

_ I swear, if he asks me for a fucking blow job right now...  _ Theo thought, holding his ground as the man approached him.  _ I’m going to break his fucking face... _

There was a hungry predatory look in the man’s eyes. The kind Theo had often seen on his lonely days on the road right before being propositioned or threatened. It was crazy the kind of people that would find you when you’re all alone in the world. Ever since he’d been released from imprisonment it was as if there were a sign on his back begging for people to try to push him around and take advantage of him, signaling that he’d have no recourse if they did. But he was not in the mood to put up with it at the moment.

“You’re not from around here, are you?” The man asked.

“What gave that away?” Theo asked snidely, as he surveyed the man, trying to figure out what exactly it was that seemed so off about him. “The fact that I’m staying at a motel or that I’m wearing a tourist sweatshirt?”

The man smiled.

“I’m gonna need you to get on your knees, son.”

Fucking creep. He  _ knew  _ it.

“Yeah, and I’m gonna need to keep standing right where I am.” Theo met the man’s hard glare with his own.

He hadn’t been wrong. His eyes were definitely black.

Before Theo can move there’s a clicking sound and he’s staring down the barrel of a .50 caliber Desert Eagle.

“Now I’m gonna ask you again, wolf.” the man said smugly. “To get on your knees.”

This time, Theo does. He brings his hands to his head and flinches as the man steps behind him.

How was the man able to move that fast? Was Theo just tired?

Theo feels the cold press of metal on the back of his head.

“You didn’t come here alone.”

“I did.”

“Where’s the other one? The alpha.”

“I don’t know.”

“Bullshit. Call him.”

“I don’t have a phone.”

Not believing him, the man pulled Theo to his feet. He quickly checked his pockets before huffing in disbelief and pushing him further into the woods.

They were off the path in a moment, swallowed up by the creeping shadows of the tall trees.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember that tag about graphic depictions of violence? Good, please carry on. ^_^

The tall man was so close behind Theo that he could feel the smoke from his cigarette crawling up the back of his neck.

But it didn’t smell like a cigarette, so much as it smelled like a campfire. It’s charcoal scent curled on the cold night air, dancing with damp bark and dried spruce needles.

Theo felt a knot twisting tighter and tighter in his stomach the deeper they went into the forest. They still weren’t that far from the motel, and Theo’d faced worse threats than  _ one _ hunter with an expensive gun, but there was something, or several things, that weren’t right.

_ How _ had this man found them?

_ Why  _ didn’t he smell right?

But it was more than that. There was something else. Something was missing, and it wasn’t till he heard the sound of small twigs crackled under his own feet that it dawned on Theo what that missing thing was.

_ Footsteps. _

A chill rolled up Theo’s spine as the realization struck him.

Not a footstep, not a heartbeat, if it weren’t for the deep draw on the cigarette and the soft squeeze on the handle of the gun, the man would have made no sound at all.

Theo’s hands began to shake as he was lead to a small clearing, where an old pickup truck with peeling red paint was waiting for them.

“Keep moving.” The man said calmly, bumping the back of Theo’s head with the barrel of the weapon to remind him that any hesitation on his part would leave him a pair of shoulders missing a head.

“Open it.” The man ordered when they reached the tailgate of the truck.

The rusted handle creaked under Theo’s cold fingers and the door groaned as it was lowered to reveal something, or several somethings, laying across the bed, covered by a dirty tarp.

Theo didn't need to see the strands of long brown hair or the slender fingers with chipped orange nail polish poking out from beneath it to know what he was looking at. 

The sight of bodies loaded into the back of a truck was sickeningly familiar to him. It had often been his job to dispose of the Dread Doctor's failed experiments, many of which had been children he knew. Children they'd encouraged Theo to befriend and lure to them. They'd said they would make them like him, that they'd be his pack. That he wouldn't be the only one of his kind, but it had never been successful.

Theo could still remember the first few times, how his fingers had trembled around the shovel as he dug their final resting places. He could remember the stabbing feelings that pierced his chest as he struggled to keep tears from falling down his face while covering them with back dirt. 

But that had only been the first few times. Then it just became normal, and he felt nothing but a cold emptiness and stinging disappointment.

But that wasn't what was about to happen here. This man didn't lead him to the truck to make him bury these bodies. He intended for Theo to join them.

Theo took a sharp step backwards, colliding with the man behind him.

His body was hard and immovable. Like iron.

Before Theo could stop it, he was forced over the gate of the truck, the man's hand on the back of his neck pushing his face down against the battered metal. 

That's when he noticed the strange denting all along the inside of the of the truck.

There was a small line, hammered into the metal, running like a river through its tarnished surface, twisting into shapes and animal-like sigils that Theo didn't recognize but knew couldn't be good for him.

He struggled furiously against the man, ready to take take his chances against the Desert Eagle rather than whatever the hell this shit show was, but the man's grip was unrelenting.

He was unnaturally strong. Stronger than Theo. Maybe even stronger than a real werewolf.

"What the hell _ are _ you?!" Theo snapped as he failed to keep a set of heavy metal chains from being clamped onto his wrists. “You sick creep!”

The man laughed. A deep and throaty laugh like cracking thunder and splitting rock that echoed around them in the quiet glade.

Theo felt the man's fingers slip into his hair and lace around it's still-damp strands. His touch was cold. His fingers felt more like those of a statue than those of a man, and it made Theo’s skin crawl.

“Why, are you scared, boy?” He took in a deep breath just behind Theo’s ear. “You  _ smell _ scared.”

He pulled out a long black tactical knife from his jacket and ran its sharp blade down Theo’s neck.

“If you’re so scared then why don’t you call your alpha to help you?” The man goaded him. “They say an alpha almost always hears it’s beta’s cry...”

Theo swallowed. So the man was really after Scott.

“He isn’t my alpha.”

It came out much more snively than he’d intended it to sound.

It didn’t really matter if he called or not, Scott was too far away to be able to hear him, and Theo wasn’t about to give this man the satisfaction in him crying for help.

“Not your alpha?” The man let out a disbelieving laugh as his pinned Theo’s wrist down and pushed his sleeve up, exposing his pale forearm to the cold air. “You expect me to believe that?

He didn’t need Scott’s help anyway. He could get himself out of this mess. He never needed an alpha’s protection before, why would he need it now?

“Believe whatever you want, asshole.” Theo growled. “If you think he’s going to come for me, you’re about to be sorely disappointed.”

It wasn’t like he even really needed Scott’s help anyway. He’d find a way out of this. He’d never had an alpha to protect him before and he’d done just fine. He always found a way out. 

“I won’t be.” The man said, forcing Theo’s palm down over one of the animal-like shapes and bringing the knife to his arm. “I can just get him myself when I’m finished with you.”

Theo shouted as the blade plunged into his arm and raked through his flesh.

He struggled to pull away, but it was futile, every move he made only gave the man more room to push him down.

Blood gushed from his arm onto dirty metal, flowing and rushing through the grooves.

Theo felt something earthy stuffed into his mouth, stifling his cries and causing him to choke. 

“Swallow it.” The man ordered, holding his mouth and nose shut till Theo forced himself to take in the dry and prickly substance.

It scratched and burned his throat.

He gasped and continued to choke on small bits of it even after the man removed his hand.

As he did, a small leaf fall from his lip down in front of him.

“ _ Emissary _ .” Theo breathed, recognizing the poisonous plant.

“Not quite.” The man corrected him and sliced into Theo’s other arm.

Theo gasped, and watched as his blood continued to twist and wind its way through the grooves in the bed of the truck. 

As it made its way toward the outstretched hand, the finger twitched.

“ _ No _ ...” Theo whispered, and the man let out another laugh behind him.

 

*     *     *

 

_ "Liam? Malia? Mom?" Scott's voice coughed and choked as flames roared all around him. "MOM?!" _

_ Sparks spat down at him from a snapping rafter, singing his hair as he turned his head left and right. The fire was too loud to hear a heartbeat. The heat too furious to be sense anyone. _

_ He stumbled from room to room, each one held nothing but fiery inferno and oblivion. The house would collapse on him at any moment. _

_ But he couldn't leave. Everything he had was in this house. _

_ He needed to find them. To see them. He couldn't accept that it was too late. That  _ he'd  _ been too late. _

_ "MOM!" he called frantically as he tripped over something and fell to the floor, hacking and coughing. _

_ That was when he saw her. _

_ Barely enough to be her anymore. Her soul long gone. _

_ Melted away. _

_ He reached for what was left of her hand. It burned and fell apart in his grip. _

_ "Mom." he sobbed, his tears evaporating off his face in the unrelenting heat. _

_ There was a loud crack as something above him caved. Heavy loads of rubble rained down around him. _

_ He turned back the way he came. There was still a small path to the door, growing smaller and smaller with each dwindling moment. _

_ The hunters were waiting outside for him. The ones that did this. _

_ His teeth grew sharp, his eyes flared red. A rage, the likes of which he'd never felt before curdled in his veins as a primeval darkness swept through his body. It wound its way through his limbs and into the deepest channels of his mind, searching for even the smallest flickers of himself to seize and obliterate. _

_ Melissa McCall would never breathe again. She would never laugh, never smile. She would not find love a second time. She would never see her son attend college or meet her grandchildren. She would never save another life. She would never comfort another soul or be comforted. _

_ Her ashes would lie in the earth, buried indistinguishable from the soot of rubble. _

_ He would never see her again. Never share another moment with her. Never even have the chance to say goodbye. _

_ They had no right to do that to her. They had no right to do that to him. _

_ His body shook with angry sobs as he tried to push away the dark thoughts that threatened to consume him.  _

_ He shouldn't. He couldn’t become like them. He never wanted to be like them. That wasn’t who he was. _

_ But as he lay on the hot floorboards, listening to the crackling and roaring all around him, who he was became harder and harder to see. The him he knew fell silent inside of him, trapped and unable to move in the suffocating darkness. _

_ He couldn’t move, couldn’t think, when suddenly he heard a low whine of agony coming from deeper within burning building. _

_ He recognized the voice. It didn't belong to anyone he'd come here for. Scott hadn't even known he was in the house. _

_ But it didn't matter. He needed help. _

_ Summoning whatever was left of his strength, Scott crawled along the floor towards the sound. _

_ "Theo?!" he called, coughing, and followed the frantic voice that called back. _

_ "Sc-Scott? Scott, is that you?" _

_ There was another cry of pain and Scott moved faster. _

_ By the time he caught up with the voice he couldn't see anymore. Thick sheets of billowing black smoke obscured Theo from his vision, but his hands found his body, trapped beneath a heavy smoldering beam. _

_ When a moment earlier Scott thought he didn't have the strength to pull himself up off the floor, he somehow found it in himself to lift the beam, wrap Theo's arm around his neck, and haul them out through the storm of bullets waiting outside. _

Scott bolted upright in bed, sweat poured down his face and neck.

He tumbled onto all fours on the floor. 

He couldn’t breathe. No matter how hard he struggled to force breath in and out of his lungs, they refused to move.

_ Inhaler. _ He thought as he groped around the floor, but of course he didn’t have one.

He had nothing.

As he lay on the floor, heaving, he slowly began to recognize the dark shapes of the motel furniture around him. The fibers of the coarse carpet beneath him. The slow drip of the slightly broken bathroom sink.

He sat back against his bed, buried his face in his hands, and took several deep breaths.

The last thing he remembered was lying on top of his comforter, staring at the ceiling and fuming from the argument he’d had with Theo. He must have fallen asleep.

Removing his hands from his face, he scanned the dark room.

Theo wasn’t there. His bed was still made, and his keys were still missing from the dresser.

Scott wasn’t sure how much time had passed or if he should be concerned.

A clock on the bedside table above him glowed with a dim red 3:28am, but it wasn’t much use to him. He had no idea what time they had arrived in the room, much less what time Theo’d left.

Forcing himself up off the floor, he trudged over to the window and peered through the blinds.

Their car was still parked in the lot where they’d left it. It’s unwashed dark silver surface turned blue and pink in the flickering florescent light from the Motel sign above it.

Nothing seemed remiss, yet there was a feeling in the pit of his stomach, telling him that something wasn’t right.

Grabbing the second key on the dresser, Scott stepped outside. 

He couldn’t catch Theo’s scent in the crisp air, nor could he hear any sound of him.

He hadn’t...decided to go for a walk by himself, had he?

Not when he  _ knew _ people were out there looking for them?

 

*     *     *

 

Theo was frozen in place as the finger, then the wrist began to twitch. He watched helplessly  as the heap of bodies began to squirm beneath the tarp like pile of maggots.

He lurched backwards, but the chains snapped taught and held him in place.

The hand he’d been watching turned suddenly, it’s palm and broken fingernails finding purchase on the dirty bed of the truck, and the deformed remains of what had once been a girl wriggled out towards him. 

Her eyes were pale, glassy and unseeing. Her mouth lolled open as her clammy hand wrapped around his wrist.

And then she fell, completely lifeless and immobile in front of him, like a marionette that’d had it’s strings abruptly cut.

Theo’s felt the man’s furious hand on the back of his neck, forcing him to face him.

“You’re not a werewolf...” The man observed, anger weaving it’s way through his sharp rugged features. “What are you?”

“What am  _ I _ ?” Theo practically sputtered in disbelief. “What the hell are  _ you _ ?”

The man shook him, causing his head snap roughly, but in the effort his sleeve slipped down his arm, revealing a stretch of warped skin with another set of strange symbols carved into it.

“Answer me!” the man growled at him, and now it was Theo’s turn to laugh.

“Now why would I do that?” Theo mocked, staring back at the man despite the fact that he was so light headed that he was nearly seeing double. “So you can get your creepy little ritual done faster? Thanks, but I’ll  _ pass _ .”

The man stared into Theo’s eyes for a long moment, surveying him. Theo returned the gaze as best he could whilst his vision blurred, but the man’s dark irises offered him little insight. He found the man impossible to read. 

But the man seemed to find what  _ he _ was looking for from Theo.

“Very well.” he said gruffly as he released him. “I don’t need to know whose lab rat you were. You’re no good to me either way.”

_ How....how could he know?  _

Theo wondered as the man walked to the front of the truck. He heard the door to the cab open and when the man returned he was holding a weighty axe. It’s worn wooden handle looked as though it had seen its fair share of splitting logs, but it’s blade was stained with dried dark brown blood.

Theo gulped.

“I suppose you  _ were _ telling the truth about not belonging to the alpha wolf, then.” The man mused as he planted his feet behind Theo. “An alpha wolf wouldn’t keep a thing like you, it would be unnatural.”

Theo jumped as the man placed the heavy head of the axe on his shoulder, lining up his first strike.

From placement he could tell that the man wasn't planning to end this quickly. The blade wasn't positioned to take his head off in a clean stroke, but to cleave down through his collar bone.

The method would be cruel as well as stupid. The man would exert himself slowly hacking him to pieces when it could be over in one swing, but Theo didn’t try to reason with him.

As the man pulled the axe back Theo tried to convince himself that it was a good thing. Maybe if he could survive the first few blows, which he almost certainly would, the man would make a mistake and he'd be able to free himself somehow.

He heard the swift woosh of the blade above him, and braced himself for the blow.

 

*     *     *

 

Of course Theo had managed to find himself some trouble.

From the moment Scott caught the chimera's cold and frightened scent on the breeze, that much had been obvious. 

He didn't question why his feet carried him quickly through the forest towards the scent. Leaving Theo to whatever fate he’d found just wasn’t an option.

No matter how much Scott couldn’t stand the sight of him, no matter how much he wished that it could have been  _ anyone _ else that he’d been able to save, something had delivered Theo into his hands that night just before the building had collapsed.

Theo was his to protect now. For better or worse.

The thought had no sooner crossed his mind when his ears were hit with a blood-curdling scream of agony. The sound riveted through him, spurring him forward, and as he moved, Scott felt the forest change before him. 

The muted cold colors of the tall trees turned vivid and deep. The air that had seemed stale and dry only a moment ago was rich with the scent of fresh moss growing on the trunks of trees. He could smell the musty roots and ferns under his feet; the fur on the backs of squirrels that lay sleeping in their wooden homes.

He could hear not just the sickening screams, but every sound around him. The distant flutterings wings far above in the lofty treetops, the groaning boughs of branches being swayed in the wind. And among them, he could hear Theo’s heartbeat.

He could perceive all of the detail that he’d been accustomed to sensing since he’d been turned, and that he somehow didn’t even notice had been missing for the past several days.

As he set off in the direction that Theo’s cry had come from, his limbs felt lighter, his feet swifter.

When he found Theo it was in a clearing, with an old dented truck and a man wearing a long cracked and faded brown leather coat. Theo was slumped forward across the tailgate of the truck, both his hands trapped in metal manacles. Scott could smell something else, something in the back of the truck, but he didn’t have time to contemplate what it was as he saw an axe buried deep between Theo’s neck and shoulder.

The man yanked the axe out of Theo’s flesh and back over his head to deliver a second blow, but this time Scott caught by its wooden handle and yanked it from his grasp.

"Get off him!" he growled, tossing the tool yards upon yards away into the forest.

When the man turned to face him, he looked surprised but not frightened. He probably hadn't heard Scott approach through Theo's screams.

"Give me the keys and no one has to get hurt here." Scott growled menacingly, over the sound of Theo wincing and hissing in pain. 

"...more than they already have." he quickly adds.

"I'm afraid that won't work for me at all, werewolf." The man said with a smile, and quickly drew a gun from his jacket.

Scott ducked as bullets rushed furiously over his shoulder. He lunged forward, knocking the man's arm upward and a second shot fired into the trees above them. Scott slammed his shoulder into the man, preparing to redirect another shot as the man was knocked down, but the he didn't budge.

He remained upright, his feet rooted the ground just as firmly as the trees around them, his body equally as immovable.

Scott looked up at him, his eyes widening as it dawned on him that this man was s _ tronger  _ than him.

The realization was quickly affirmed when the man landed a brutal blow to Scott’s temple that seen him reeling back several feet and to the ground.

It was like being struck by an iron pole. Scott lay flat on his back, a furious ringing in his ears that blocked out all other sound as the man approached. By the time he’d rolled over onto all fours the man was practically on top of him, the large silver hand gun pointed directly between his eyes.

 

*     *     *

 

Despite the searing pain gripping him, hope surged through Theo’s body when he heard Scott’s voice. He turned over his shoulder in time to see the axe being flung into the woods, but he could tell from the moment the two engaged that Scott alone didn’t have the advantage.

Scott was now an alpha with no pack. His strength wasn’t what it once had been, and he wasn’t prepared for it.

Theo yanked desperately at the chains again, but there was nothing he could do to dislodge them. They were connected by means Theo couldn’t understand to the vehicle and refused to come undone. All his efforts brought him was a sharp burning pain from the strain it put on his wounded shoulder. 

“ _ Shit _ .” he swore, looking down at his wrists.

Only one option left.

He slammed his hand down as hard as he could onto the metal platform, cracking the bones in his wrist. He did it a second time, and then a third, till his hand was limp and he was able to slip it through the binds like a rubber glove.

He would heal, he reminded himself as he repeated the process with his other hand. It would just take a few minutes.

A few minutes he didn’t have, he realized, as he heard the click of the Desert Eagle preparing to bury a bullet into Scott’s skull.

With not much else to do, Theo slammed his body with all the force he could muster into the man.

It caught him off guard and he stumbled, giving Scott just enough time to spring forward and knock him to his feet. The three of them toppled to the ground, a mess of claws teeth and unreasonable strength.

Theo managed to bit the man’s wrist, causing him to drop the gun, but he was quick to retrieve the long and cruelly jagged tactical knife from his pocket. Still unable to use his claws, Theo struggled to disengage, but he felt the blade rip into him several times before Scott was able to give him an opening to roll away.

He flinched as he snapped his wrist back into place, listening to Scott’s roars of rage and pain and the swooshing of the man’s knife behind him. When he turned back he saw the man on top of Scott, one hand choking him, the other raised to bury the knife into Scott’s eye.

A small glint of silver caught Theo’s eye. He grabbed the Desert Eagle, aimed it point blank at the man’s chest and forced his still fractured finger to pull on the trigger.

The shot echoed loudly in the glade, the kickback of the gun sent shooting pain through Theo’s hand.

 

*     *     *

 

Blood splattered across Scott’s face as a large chunk of the man’s chest was blasted open. For a moment Scott saw the still forest through the gaping hole in the man’s chest before he fell, motionless to the side.

He scrambled to his feet, chest heaving.

He turned to Theo, whose hands were shaking on the hilt of the gun.

He wanted to yell at him. Berate him. Tell him that there were other ways to solve their problems. That he didn’t have to kill someone like that. No matter how bad they were.

But as he stepped forward and grabbed Theo’s arm, he looked into his terrified eyes and felt himself falter.

“Are you okay?” was what he ended up saying.

Theo winced.

“ _ Yes _ .” he answered through gritted teeth. “What the hell was he?”

“I have no idea.” Scott said, and for the first time his eyes turned to the truck. “I was hoping you could tell me...”

It was then that Scott saw the sickening cargo in the bed of the truck. The girl’s arm hanging lifeless over the open gate.

“What the-”

But Scott never finished his sentence.

He heard Theo shout, whipped his head around, and saw the man, sitting straight up, broken ribs still protruding from the grisly hole in his chest.

“Oh,  _ fuck this _ !” Theo shouted beside him, and suddenly Scott felt his hand on his wrist, pulling him into the woods. “We’re running!”

Scott didn’t need to be told twice.

They bolted into the woods, their feet flying over the forest floor back towards the motel. Scott turned over his shoulder just in time to see the man pull a second gun from his coat and fire it after them.

He ducked, narrowly dodging a bullet aimed at his head. He heard a second shot go off, followed by a cry from Theo as his body bit the dirt beside him.

He paused only to grab Theo by the collar of his shirt and haul him back onto his feet. Thankfully the shot only managed to catch Theo in the arm, and they were in the motel parking lot in a moment.

Theo tossed Scott the keys from his pocket, Scott jumped into the driver’s seat, turned the key and heard the engine roar to life. He turned to Theo, who had for some reason, disappeared back into the motel.

“Damn it!” Scott swore, throwing the car into reverse by the time he had it turned around, 

Theo was back, his arms full of clothes and whatever else they’d left in their room.

“Really?” Scott shouted at him as he slammed his foot down on the pedal.

Theo flinched, buckling himself in as gravel and dirt kicked up against the bottom of the car.

“I’m not getting back on the road with nothing but pajamas.” Theo said stubbornly.

Scott let out an exasperated scoff as he pulled out onto the main road. It’s bright yellow lines bringing him a small amount of relief as the car gained speed.

“How the fuck did he find us?” Theo asked, stowing the items on the floor beneath his feet so he could inspect his wounds.

“I don’t know.” Scott answered, keeping his eyes on the road as it tilted sharply upwards and the pale first light of dawn began to touch worn surface. “But we’re going to have to find out.”

“Yeah,” Theo said, taking in a heavy and painful breath as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “That and who the hell he was..or  _ what  _ the hell he was...”

Scott nodded. He was quiet for another moment as Theo continued to squirm awkwardly in the seat beside him and the car slowed slightly from the steep incline of the mountain.

They had to be nearing the top.

Theo let out a sharp painful hiss. Scott glanced at him to see him struggling to remove the bullet from his left bicep.

“Leave it.” Scott said, just as the he felt the incline start to even out. “I’ll take it out for you when we stop.

Theo groaned.

“How long is _ that _ going to be?”

“I don’t know.” Scott said honestly, creasing his brow. “As soon as it feels safe to.”

Theo nodded, flinching and leaning back in his seat.

As he did, Scott reached across the car, and slipped his hand into Theo’s. He wrapped his fingers lightly around his palm, and squeezing it gently, drew thick black strands of pain from him.

Theo gasped a small sigh of relief. His eyes met Scott’s, surprised and thankful as ripples of black swam up Scott’s arm. 

Scott held his gaze for a moment, listening to Theo’s breath slow, and he felt something slide back into place inside him.

He turned his eyes back onto the road as it took a sharp bend, drawing the last ribbons of pain from Theo’s arm. 

Bright orange and gold light met them on the other side of the bend, and the road opened up on a wide sweeping landscape of sharp snow capped mountains glinting in the first true rays of the sun. 

He felt hungry for the first time in days.  
  


*     *     *

 

Theo’s heart thudded in his chest, rhythmic and steady. Scott’s palm was warm against his own, and comforting in a way that was entirely unfamiliar to him. He wanted to curl his fingers around it, but stopped himself.

The pain inside him was gone, and in its place was something new and uncomfortable. A fluttering movement in his chest, a soft whisper of a sensation that moved over his skin and crept through his bones.

Scott turned his head to look out his window as the light hit a magnificent sprawling scene of mountains before them. But all Theo could see was Scott.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> This fic was written for the Teen Wolf Big Bang in 2017, and is the first part in The Road After Trilogy.
> 
> The sequel (The Road After Part II - Rain) is longer and will begin posting very soon. I will be aiming for weekly updates on it (god help me!). I'd recommend bookmarking the series or subscribing to me as an author if you want a notification when Part II is up.
> 
> I would love to hear your thoughts, constructive comments are always welcome. =D
> 
> **Art for this fic:**   
>  [Art by Liliath](https://demonzdust.tumblr.com/post/173033037736/liliaeth-fic-ashes-scotttheo-r)
> 
> **If you're looking for more sceo while waiting for the sequel I've written a handful of fics for this ship:**  
> [The Call](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11857773/chapters/26771910)  
> [What Should Have Been Ours](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9862829/chapters/22131167)  
> [Adoption](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7802056%0A%20rel=)  
> ...and more on my [works](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DemonzDust/works) page.
> 
> And if you're on Tumblr I share writing, art, gifs, ideas, and take requests on [my blog](https://https://demonzdust.tumblr.com/).  
> 


End file.
